Cholera in Haiti…here’s what you need to know:
Cholera: waterborne illness spread by drinking water containing the organism Vibrio cholera. In the absence of latrines or public sewage systems, the world’s poor often drink from the same river or stream used for defecation – infecting water supplies. While boiling water kills these bacteria, many people cannot afford the necessary fuel and supplies.
Symptoms: 12-24hr after drinking contaminated water 10% of people will experience diarreha so radpidly dehydrating that can lead to shock or death without the replenishing of liquids. Most fatal for small children, elderly and malnourished people.
Treatments: Oral re-hydration solutions, IV liquids, antibiotics.
History: Never present in Haiti until UN forces carried it over in October 2010. As the epidemic moves into its second year, the bacteria have contaminated the lakes, rivers and canals that millions of people use each day for drinking, cooking and bathing. “One the one hand we see cholera numbers decreasing but we know the disease is here to stay,” says Rosamy Lolange, a medical worker in Mirebalais. The epidemic is connected to weather patterns; heavy rains and tropical storms will continue to trigger spikes in cholera cases and deaths. (info taken from www.pih.org/cholera)
The is the Haitian government’s response to cholera?
The government in Haiti is making big plans to kick start the economy and implement programs for water sanitation. Part of a new $700,000 health and sanitation program will be focused on the construction of an extensive latrine and potable water system within the south-western region.
“We still have 50% of our population living in rural areas who will not have access to modern sanitation techniques,” Conille explained. “So we want an army of community health workers who can go from house to house to help people develop their means to protect themselves against cholera.” -(http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/jan/12/haiti-economic-recovery-plan)
What is the Haiti Outreach Program doing to prevent Cholera?
We continually support Partner’s in Health (PIH)and their medical response to the epidemic, but we also have our own water and sanitation projects. In 2000, Boucan Carre recieved their first Artesan well. This has been a great source of clean water but soon may be overworked as the community continues to grow in population. This was obviously in place long before Cholera was brought to Haiti, but clean water has been an ongoing mission of the program as a health and community priority.
One of our board members, Dianne Richards, represents a partnering community that has provided all the water filtration systems. They are working to track the usage and find ways to encourage a more robust use of the systems in place. They are beginning to plan for raising community awareness concerning clean water and sanitation with the first step being a traveling tutorial on the importance of hand-washing.
Additionally, we are almost finished with the construction of our second latrine! As of January 11th, the trusses were in place but painting was soon to be finished and solar panels soon to be installed. A hand-washing station will be set up outside. Not only are we keeping water safer, but this is a composting latrine, meaning, with the help of the non-governmental organization, SOIL, we can used the refuse of this latrine as a producer of fertilizer for crops.
Latrines are an important part of keeping water bodies clean and free of cholera. Here is the first latrine at the primary school. And these are some of the children who use the latrine daily,walking in line to the bathroom:
Next time you pass a water fountain, wash your hands, make coffee, or brush your teeth, think about the blessing of clean water. If you would like to make a donation to our community projects, click here! http://www.givehaitihope.org/helpnow.htm Thank you for supporting the Haiti Outreach Program! Stay tuned as we continue to do our part in water and sanitation projects.
Cholera 101
Cholera in Haiti…here’s what you need to know:
Cholera: waterborne illness spread by drinking water containing the organism Vibrio cholera. In the absence of latrines or public sewage systems, the world’s poor often drink from the same river or stream used for defecation – infecting water supplies. While boiling water kills these bacteria, many people cannot afford the necessary fuel and supplies.
Symptoms: 12-24hr after drinking contaminated water 10% of people will experience diarreha so radpidly dehydrating that can lead to shock or death without the replenishing of liquids. Most fatal for small children, elderly and malnourished people.
Treatments: Oral re-hydration solutions, IV liquids, antibiotics.
History: Never present in Haiti until UN forces carried it over in October 2010. As the epidemic moves into its second year, the bacteria have contaminated the lakes, rivers and canals that millions of people use each day for drinking, cooking and bathing. “One the one hand we see cholera numbers decreasing but we know the disease is here to stay,” says Rosamy Lolange, a medical worker in Mirebalais. The epidemic is connected to weather patterns; heavy rains and tropical storms will continue to trigger spikes in cholera cases and deaths. (info taken from www.pih.org/cholera)
The is the Haitian government’s response to cholera?
The government in Haiti is making big plans to kick start the economy and implement programs for water sanitation. Part of a new $700,000 health and sanitation program will be focused on the construction of an extensive latrine and potable water system within the south-western region.
“We still have 50% of our population living in rural areas who will not have access to modern sanitation techniques,” Conille explained. “So we want an army of community health workers who can go from house to house to help people develop their means to protect themselves against cholera.” -(http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/jan/12/haiti-economic-recovery-plan)
What is the Haiti Outreach Program doing to prevent Cholera?
One of our board members, Dianne Richards, represents a partnering community that has provided all the water filtration systems. They are working to track the usage and find ways to encourage a more robust use of the systems in place. They are beginning to plan for raising community awareness concerning clean water and sanitation with the first step being a traveling tutorial on the importance of hand-washing.
Next time you pass a water fountain, wash your hands, make coffee, or brush your teeth, think about the blessing of clean water. If you would like to make a donation to our community projects, click here! http://www.givehaitihope.org/helpnow.htm Thank you for supporting the Haiti Outreach Program! Stay tuned as we continue to do our part in water and sanitation projects.